A Birthday Wish
by gibbsxzivaxtony9761
Summary: Kate decides to give Gibbs a very special birthday present. KIBBS. one-shot for now


**This is a one-shot made specifically for Krustel. Sorry I didn't give you a nice story, so now I'm making up for it! Hope you enjoy it! **

Kate POV

I looked at the calendar; the date sticking out promptly in my mind. _September 2, _I thought, it was his birthday tomorrow and you _still _didn't know what the hell to get him.

I turned in my chair and gave him a sideways glance, taking in his profile; admiring the tidy silver hair, the never wrinkled sports jacket, and his piercing blue eyes, saving that for last.

"Can I help you with something, Katie?" He asked, turning to face me.

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, "No, it's fine, just day dreaming."

He pegged me with a signature Gibbs stare and I smiled pleasantly back at him. He turned away from me after a few seconds, back to the report that needed to be finished.

I twirled the pen in my hand, thinking of what to get the man that had nothing and wanted absolutely nothing. I pulled out the sketchpad I had in my drawer and began flipping through the various sketches of him, admiring the way the charcoal seemed to bring out his perfect features.

"Hey Gibbs, what was your favorite place growing up?" I asked casually, still flipping through the now very familiar sketches.

He looked up from the monitor again, "Why do you wanna know, Kate?" He asked, propping his elbow up on the table.

I shrugged, "Well you can tell a lot from a man from what his favorite childhood place was," I told him, "Mine was a camp ground my brothers used to bring me too."

He paused for a second, looking around the empty bullpen and slowly rose from his chair, his eyes swimming with past memories. He smiled after a few moments, his blue eyes twinkling in the dimmed lights.

"It's not really a place," he began, running a hand through his hair, "It's more of a time in the day."

I looked at him, waiting patiently for him to answer while cherishing the look on his face. He let his guard down and was now perfectly at ease, leaning against my desk, just a few inches away from me, a smile grazing his lips.

"My mom, when she was alive, used to take me up onto the roof of our house to watch the sunrise every summer morning," he confessed, his lips breaking into a full blown smile, "She always told me that no matter what happens, a new day can potentially fix everything."

I felt my heart soften when I heard the tone of his voice change. He was at peace, not thinking of another case, not kicking himself for something I didn't know about, he was perfectly at ease.

"Wow," I began, "That's really sweet, Gibbs," I told him, smiling back.

He nodded, shaking himself away from his past; the distant and peaceful look he had on his face instantly vanished and he was emotionless and a hard marine once again.

He went back to his desk and sat down, looking at the clock, he said, "Go home, get some rest Kate, you can finish the report tomorrow."

I nodded, grabbing my sketchbook off of my desk and stuffing it into my bag. I plucked my coat off of my chair and headed towards the elevator.

"Good night Gibbs, and thanks," I called over my shoulder.

I could've sworn I saw a smile on his face.

I woke up to my alarm blaring on my desk, and quickly shut it off, rolling out of bed and grabbing the awaiting pencils, oil pastels and my sketchbook off of my night stand.

I pulled on a pair of sweats and opened my window, throwing my sketchbook and my art supplies onto the roof and hoping that they wouldn't fall off. I skillfully climbed up to join them, quickly gathering them in my hand.

I looked towards the eastern sky and watched as the first lights of dawn approached, mingling with the light navy blue that clouded the sky. The deep violet came next, eating away at the blue until the violet became a delicate pink, the light reflecting on the puffy clouds that lined the sky.

My pencil moved of its own accord, sketching out the scene that was slowly unfolding before my eyes. I watched the colors fight for dominance, so beautiful that it pulled at my heart. I hadn't seen a sunrise this beautiful since I was fifteen with my brothers and I barely remembered it.

I began committing each phase to memory, taking in the colors and engraining it into my brain. I looked at the watch I had strapped to my wrist and realized I had a little over an hour before work.

I got out the new pack of oil pastels I hadn't bothered to touch after their trip back from the art store, and took out the navy blue, my fingers hesitant.

What if I made a mistake? I couldn't just go back and erase it! I can't just redraw it either; I don't have the time.

I sighed, putting my worries aside and opened my mind to the pictures I had saved in my brain a few minutes ago and closed my eyes, letting the navy blue slide over the paper. I picked up a violet, letting the colors intertwine and mingle together.

Soon, I had gone through the whole pack of pastels, and cautiously opened my eyes to see that the drawing was a mirror image oh the picture in my mind. I smeared some of the colors together, making it look more realistic and hoped to God that this was what Gibbs had in mind.

I cautiously gripped my sketchpad in my hand and climbed back into the room, leaving the now almost useless pastels on top of the roof.

I looked at the clock: 0645. I quickly took a shower and threw on a matching pantsuit and grabbed sketchbook off of my desk. I decided that I would give him the whole thing, considering that it was mostly all of him with a few pictures of the team thrown in. I made sure that the sunrise was the first one and smiled contentedly as I got into my car.

I swerved away from the light traffic, anxious to get there before him, and quickly parked the car and pressed the call button for the elevator fifteen times.

"Going somewhere, Katie?"

I turned around to find myself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes and felt my eyes widen in shock. I felt my mouth gape open and hastily closed it.

"Yeah, going to work, same place as you," I told him, trying to swallow back my shock.

He looked down at the sketchpad clutched tightly against my chest and back up to my face, a knowing smirk placed on his chiseled features.

"Can I see it?" He asked quietly, his voice soft.

I glared at him, leaning against the medal doors that refused to open and sighed, it was the mans birthday after all.

"I was going to give it to you as a birthday present, but it was suppose to be anonymous," I told him, handing over the sketch book.

The elevator doors opened, causing me to stumble back and he reflexively caught me, his arm sliding expertly around my waist to keep me from falling.

I leaned into his embrace but quickly stabilized myself and headed into the elevator, and he followed behind me.

He opened to the first page, and I saw his eyes widen in surprise and saw his fingers running gently over the picture I had put hours into.

"Kate," he began, looking up into my eyes, his blue ones filled with shock, "This is exactly how I saw it back home, how did you do it?"

I shrugged, a smile on my face, so relieved that he liked it, "I got up extra early and climbed onto the roof with the pastels and a sketch pad and drew what I saw."

He pulled me into a tight hug; I gladly let my arms wrap around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder, breathing in the sweet scent of sawdust, bourbon, and a scent that was just purely Gibbs.

"I take it you like your present?" I whispered softly in his ear, not wanting him to ever let me go.

He laughed in my ear, a low chuckle, "I love it, Katie, a lot." I felt his flips against my ear and smiled, the words sending shivers down my spin.

He pulled away slightly to look at me, his eyes were filled with emotions: gratefulness, amazement, and, was that, really, love?

He slid one arm away from my waist and flipped through the rest of the pictures, laughing at the one of DiNozzo lounging lazily in his chair on the phone and smiled at the one of Abby. He got to Ducky and his eyes went wide as he traced the details of the photo with his finger.

I held my breath as he turned the page and the image of him that I had been sketching in the park came into focus. He looked at me, his eye brows slightly raised and a warm smile gracing his lips.

"Do you like it?" I asked hesitantly, suddenly unsure of myself.

He flipped through the rest of them, that same smile still on his face once he got to the last page. I had taken care to draw him a birthday card, sketching out the words "Happy Birthday, Gibbs!" in elegant calligraphy.

He brought his lips down onto mine, capturing me in a sweet and sensual kiss. I felt the hard cover of the sketchbook press against my spine as both his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest.

"I love it, Katie, thank you," he whispered, his blue eyes filled with happiness.

I smiled, "I'm glad, because I worked really hard on it for the last few months just for today, just to see you smile," I added.

He kept his grin in place and started laughing, pressing me against the elevator walls.

I tilted my head up to kiss him and he once again pulled me into his arms, now his hand was entangled in my hair, making me smile.

I pulled away long enough to say, "Happy Birthday, Gibbs."

He gave me a smile, "It was the best birthday yet, Katie," and his lips were on mine again.

**Dedicated to Krustel **


End file.
